Bumrah, India without Kohli and a battle of the spinners... Australia v India KEY BATTLES

The Cricketer looks at some of the key areas which could decide the outcome of Australia four-match Test series against India

Jasprit Bumrah v Australia’s top order

During India’s tour of Australia in 2018/19, Jasprit Bumrah finished the Test series as the joint-leading wicket taker, with 21 wickets alongside Australia’s spinner Nathan Lyon.

Bumrah caused Australia all sorts of problems on that tour. With his awkward action, vicious bounce and ferocious pace, there was no rest for the batsman.

Almost two years on and not much will have changed. He will be one to keep an eye on and Australia’s batsman must be on guard and prepared for the onslaught when the series gets underway beneath the lights at the Adelaide Oval.

His career-best match figures of 9-86 in just 34.5 overs came in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and with a Test due to be played there with a crowd of 30,000 each day, they are in for a real treat when he gets the ball in his hand.

India v Australia without captain Kohli

India will be without their captain Virat Kohli for most of the series as the 32-year-old returns to his home land after the opening Test to attend the birth of his child. Because of Covid protocols, he will be unable to play a further part in the tour after Adelaide.

Like Bumrah, Kohli was a real handful in Australia during the last tour and there is no doubt he’ll want to give India the upper hand heading into the second Test at Melbourne. Kohli scored 282 runs in seven innings and averaged a touch over 40.

In his absence, India will be left in the capable hands of Ajinkya Rahane – who himself scored 217 runs in the Test series in 2018/19 having notched a couple of half-centuries along the way.

_{India will be without Virat Kohli after the first Test}

Australian bowlers v Cheteshwar Pujara

India’s Cheteshwar Pujara was like a wall in the last Test series played between these two giants of international cricket.

In the four matches, he scored 521 runs at an average of 74.42 – striking three centuries and one fifty, with a series-best score of 193.

Australia’s bowlers had few answers for India’s wall and often relied on lapses in concentration by Pujara. Pujara faced 1,258 balls in the series, 574 more than the next man (Kohli) and 666 balls more than the Australian who faced the most (Usman Khawaja).

So, like the batsmen must have a plan for Bumrah, the bowlers must have a plan for Pujara or they’re in for a long series as he wears them down into the ground.

The battle of the spinners

As previously mentioned in an above point, Australia’s Lyon was the joint-highest wicket in the last series between Australia and India. He simply couldn’t be tamed and reaped the rewards as a result.

With Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav at their disposal in this series, India may lead the way on the spin front. While Australia could turn to Adam Zampa or toss the ball to Marnus Labuschagne, one feels that the visitors may have the last laugh on this occasion.

However, Lyon and co. could prove us wrong with the aforementioned prediction as Jadeja, Ashwin and Yadav could only muster 18 wickets between them on the last tour. On different surfaces to what they’re used to on the sub-continent, it may be a real test for the trio.

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